The Australian Government has proposed the Migration Amendment (Prohibiting Items,in Immigration Detention Facilities) Bill 2020, which “amends the Migration Act 1958 to: enable the minister to determine, by legislative instrument, prohibited things in relation to immigration detention facilities and detainees; enable authorised officers and assistants to search Commonwealth immigration detention facilities without a warrant; strengthen the search and seizure and screening powers of authorised officers; and enable the minister to issue binding written directions to authorised officers in relation to the exercise of their seizure powers.”
Humanists Victoria has sent a submission opposing this bill in its current form and calling for its rejection, based on several concerns, and asking that the Australian Government ensure world-class standards of human rights and embody those standards in a Bill or Charter of Human Rights.
